The number of Red Rocket employees now pocketing more than $100,000 climbed to 1,395 in 2012 — up by 237 employees from 2011. That number includes 196 operators and 21 station collectors who took home over $100Gs.

TTC CEO Andy Byford was the transit authority’s top earner, taking home $294,366.92 plus more than $14,000 in taxable benefits.

Byford’s predecessor former chief general manager Gary Webster was also on the list, getting paid $119,019.50 last year even though he was fired in February 2012.

TTC spokesman Brad Ross — who earned $154,377.80 last year — said the number of TTC employees on the list is going to go up every year.

“There are professional engineers and others in the organization whose salaries just continue to go up because of inflation, there salary increases go through the range,” Ross said.

Overtime is to blame for some employees showing up on the list including operators and station collectors, he said.

“You have to work a lot of overtime to make that list,” Ross said. “It is of course cheaper to pay overtime in many cases than it is in fact to hire more people to do that work.

“If a bus is late coming back from a garage for example then there is going to be overtime costs … in order to keep service going there is going to be overtime that we have to pay for. We budget for overtime and we pay for overtime knowing that we in fact save money.”

He said the 2012 salaries could also include retroactive pay that was paid out as a result of pay settlements reached last year.

When Sunshine List came into effect in 1996 there were 24 TTC employees on the list.

Ross argued if the $100,000 figure was adjusted to 2012 dollars, the threshold would be $140,000 and there would only be 55 TTC employees on the list.

The number of Red Rocket employees now pocketing more than $100,000 climbed to 1,395 in 2012 — up by 237 employees from 2011. That number includes 196 operators and 21 station collectors who took home over 100K.

TTC CEO Andy Byford was the transit authority’s top earner, taking home $294,366.92 plus more than $14,000 in taxable benefits.

Byford’s predecessor former chief general manager Gary Webster was also on the list, getting paid $119,019.50 last year even though he was fired in February 2012.

TTC spokesman Brad Ross — who earned $154,377.80 last year — said the number of TTC employees on the list is going to go up every year.

“There are professional engineers and others in the organization whose salaries just continue to go up because of inflation, there salary increases go through the range,” Ross said.